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School boards may take back hiring, firing

Published: Thursday, December 20, 2012 at 3:54 p.m.

Last Modified: Thursday, December 20, 2012 at 3:54 p.m.

Local school boards could recover their power to hire and fire employees after a judge struck down a new state law that gave that power solely to school administrators.

Before the law passed this year, school superintendents proposed a list of new hires, promotions, transfers and firings, which the boards had to approve. The new laws meant the boards no longer had any say — principals and schools superintendents made the decisions themselves.

Some teachers have protested the changes. Principals could play favorites because they don’t have board oversight, they said.

But those boards might see those powers returned. Board members in Lafourche and Terrebonne parishes argue the changes place too much power in the hands of school leaders.

A Baton Rouge judge ruled Tuesday that the part of Act 1 that took personnel power away from the boards is unconstitutional, according to The Associated Press.

Act 1 is the sweeping education overhaul bill passed in this year’s legislative session. The judge let the rest of the bill stand, including the elimination of a statewide pay scale and the weakening of teacher tenure.

The judges’ ruling could mean school boards could choose to take back personnel approval. Local school board members who protested the law said they hope to do that eventually, but added it’s too early to take any action.

“I think this is something we’ve got to track. The state is going to seek another opinion in a higher court, so this isn’t over,” said Terrebonne board member Roosevelt Thomas. “But if the final word is that this is wrong, I’d want to be the first one to change things back.”

Lafourche board member Dennis Jean Chiasson agreed. Though the board usually approves what the superintendent proposes, he argued it is important to have some kind of checks in case a superintendent steps out of line.

“I think the people’s representatives need to have a say-so. Otherwise, whatever the superintendent says goes,” Chiasson said. “The way it is now, the elected board is not responsible for much of anything that’s really important.”

For the time being, both parishes will likely keep the new policy in place until the lawsuit has made its way through the appeals process.

“I think we have to keep things as they are until we have the final word,” Chiasson said.

Staff Writer Matthew Albright can be reached at 448-7635 or at matthew.albright@dailycomet.com.

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